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Introducing our Up and Coming “Trained Puppy Program”

From a young age, it has been my dream to breed puppies. Ten years ago, my dream became a reality as our first breeding pair, Ruska and Tulo, joined the family. Ruska took a little longer to mature, so I waited until she was three to breed. Since my first litter, I have continued to learn and improve, always with the well-being of our puppies as my top priority. Through reading, courses, and experience, I have strived to reach our goal  — ‘To Raise Healthy, Calm, Confident, Well-Adjusted Puppies.’

Over the years, we have had families ask if we offer extra training for their puppies. Until now, this option has not been available. Next year (2025), we have decided to offer families extra training if they choose. This will be offered for one or two puppies per litter if requested.

Presently, our puppies head home at eight weeks of age. This year, we had the opportunity to train two of Echo’s Puppies and two of Willow’s puppies, which gave us insight into the next four to six weeks of puppy training. We currently have Pink and Orange Collar Girls looking for their forever families. In the meantime, we have been caring for and training them. They are a little older and have learned so much over the past few weeks.

Training

During the past weeks, the puppies have been working on learning to go potty outside, crate training for naps and overnight, walking nicely on a leash, and learning basic commands such as sit, down, come, and stay. Each day, Tom works with the puppies for short training sessions. Practice makes perfect.👏👏👏

Notice how the puppy is making eye contact with Tom. When training, you want the puppy to make eye contact for direction from you.

Commands Used Througout the Day

Throughout the day, as we interact with the puppies, it is essential to use the commands that they learn during their training. This reinforces the commands that they have been learning during their daily training sessions. For example, when the puppy wants attention, they must sit before getting a pat. Another example is during feeding time when they are instructed to sit before they get their food.

Crate Training

The puppies have learned to stay in their crates for an extended period during the day for nap time and Nighttime. They can now sleep in their crates for seven to eight hours without a midnight potty break.

Socialization

Goldendoodles are companion dogs and want to participate in everything you as a family do. Whether going for a walk or joining the family as a soccer or baseball field spectator in the summer. Whatever the family is doing, your puppy will want to join in. This is why training a puppy from a young age is so important. 

On Friday, we took the puppies along to watch my grandson’s baseball game. This was an excellent opportunity to socialize the puppies, as they were exposed to a new environment, people, and noise. As you can imagine, baseball can produce lots of different noises, from people cheering to children playing and traffic nearby.
A puppy is always a magnet for people, both young and old. When people wanted to meet the puppies, they were instructed to sit before getting a pat. After much interaction, the puppies lay in the shade for a nap.

A Trip to the Baseball Game – great socializing for our puppies – car rides, interacting with strangers young and old and lots of different noises. The puppies had many opportunities to act on their commands during this outing.
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Maui & Willow’s Pups Explore the Yard Together

Busy Week

It has been a busy week and a half. There are so many puppies that need our care, vet visits, and puppy preparation for heading home. Something had to give, and it was our weekly blog. I do appoligize to those of you waiting to see the puppy updates.

Vet Visit

Maui’s puppies visited the vet. Everyone was found to be healthy! They were very well behaved during their exam and brave when they received their vaccination and dreaded microchip. We only had one puppy that gave out a small yelp. They are such brave puppies.

I was pleasantly surprised that the puppies were so quiet for their first car ride. They settled into the crate both when they went to the vet and again when they headed home.

Puppy Call

Willow’s puppies continued exploring the yard while Maui’s puppies joined them. They have had a great time running, exploring and playing together. They love to wrestle with each other, and they learn to have a soft mouth. If a puppy bites too hard, it won’t have any friends to play with. 

This is also a time when we work on recall with the “Puppy Call.” Every puppy doesn’t come every time—puppies need repetition. This is the start of their recall training, a crucial aspect of their development. It’s something that their forever families will need to build on when they go home.

Crate Training

We begin crate training when the whelping box is removed and replaced with crates in the puppy area. The door is left open, and the puppies can enter and explore if they wish. Some puppies like to sleep in the crate, while others go in to play hide and seek with a littermate and come out again. The puppies have started napping in their crate with the door closed this week. We always have a puppy or two in the litter that complain. When we close the door, I will give each puppy a biscuit to distract them. This helps the puppies associate the crate with something good.

A Look Back

The puppies have enjoyed playing and exploring in the big yard. This is when our mothers and other adult dogs teach the puppies and train them to listen and to submit.

Saying Good-Bye

This past week, some of Willow’s puppies left for their forever homes. Saying goodbye is always a bittersweet time for me, but I love to share the joy with their forever families as they welcome their new additions. We wish each puppy a long, happy life full of love and new adventures.

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Willow and Brinkley’s Seven Weeks Old Cuties

Seven Weeks Old

Willow and Brinkley’s puppies are now seven weeks old. Willow has done a fantastic job raising her puppies, teaching them to behave and listen to mama. She continues to be the strict mama, and you can definitely see the results. With a growl from Mama, when the puppies get too “wild,” they calm down.

This week has been busy. The puppies have mastered going in and out of the house on their own, had their first car ride when they visited the vet, were introduced to water, and had play dates with Maui’s puppies. They have also transitioned to eating dry kibble.

Water Play

This past week, we have been experiencing a heat wave. It was so hot that I had to restrict the puppies’ time outside. I would take them out in the morning for a couple of hours and then bring them back into the house, where it was cool. We would again give them some outdoor play time in the late afternoon.

We added water play to help keep the puppies cool during outdoor play. In the puppy enclosure, we put various-sized containers filled with water and a pool for the puppies to cool off in.

When we added water to the pool, all the puppies were curious. It is essential to let the puppies explore the water independently so they do not have a bad first experience with it. Some puppies were brave and climbed in; some stayed back and watched.

Puppies Meal Time

Newborn puppies get all their nourishment from their mother’s milk. When Willow started weaning her puppies at three weeks of age, it was time to start them on solids.

During weaning, the puppies start solids in progression. First, they eat a ground, watery puppy mush. Second, we soak kibble in hot water to make it waterlogged and soft. Lastly, the puppies transition to dry kibble.

When this happens, feeding time is so easy. No more grinding puppy food to turn it into puppy mush or having to wait while the kibble is soaked in hot water. Feeding time is easy now because I just scoop the dry kibble into the dishes and watch the waiting puppies devour their food.

The puppies are learning to exit the house on their own.

Puppies Visit the Vet

On Wednesday, the puppies had a couple of new firsts. They visited the veterinarian for their wellness check, vaccination, and microchip, and they also had their first car ride.

When we take the puppies to the vet, Tom stays at the truck with them in the large crate, and I take them into the office for their exam two by two. The weather was scorching that day, so we devised a different plan. We would take all the puppies into the office where it was cool. It worked out very well. We put the crate onto a dolly and rolled it into the office. Tom stayed with the puppies in the waiting room while I took each puppy into the examination room for their check-up

Crate in back of truck
Crate on dolly to transport
Puppies meet new people
Weigh in
Wellness Exam
Headed back to the truck

All the puppies behaved well and passed their Wellness Exam “with flying colours!” The car ride home was quiet because the puppies settled in for a nap after their big adventure.

A look back week seven

Looking Ahead to Week Eight

  • Puppies will continue exploring and playing together inside and outdoors as weather permits
  • The puppies will get to run in the BIG yard where we will work on recall 
  • Willow along with our other dogs will continue teaching the puppies dog manners
  • Crate training with the door closed during nap time
  • We will continue to encourage puppies to use the potty area 
  • Puppies will continue to get lots of cuddle time
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Look at Maui’s Adorable Six-Week-Old Puppies

Six Weeks Old

The puppies are six weeks old today. We have had another busy week caring for them and introducing them to many new things. They have grown bigger, and you can see each unique personality developing. Maui continues to wean her puppies while they eat softened kibble. We continue to work on potty training, and we are making progress. Some puppies are more consistent, but all the puppies are making progress.

The Girls

Pink Collar Girl
Orange Collar Girl

The Boys

Green Collar Boy
Blue Collar Boy
Brown Collar Boy
Yellow Collar Boy
Grey Collar Boy

New Puppy Area

We said goodbye to the whelping box this week and started crate training in a new puppy area. I started the puppies with two crates, leaving the door open. This is the beginning of crate training. The puppies explore independently, and the door is always open.

Looking Back At Week Six

The puppies experienced new things. They enjoy outdoor play time with their own litter. We also introduced them to Willow’s litter during some of their outdoor play time.

This past week has been very hot, so we introduced water through various containers and a pool. The puppies loved the water and some were brave and went into the pool

LOOKING AHEAD TO WEEK SEVEN

In Week Seven, we will be working on obstacles. The puppies must use their brains to figure out how to maneuver around them. The puppies will also learn how to go down steps.

  • Puppies will meet their forever families
  • Puppies time spent awake will continue to increase
  • Puppies will begin dry kibble by the end of week seven
  • Puppies will visit the vet for their wellness check-up and vaccinations
  • We will continue to encourage puppies to use potty box
  • Puppies will continue to socialize and learn from each other through play
  • Puppies will continue exploring and playing together outdoor as weather permits
  • Puppies will continue learning from their mama as she disciplines them and teaches them to behave 
  • As always, puppies will continue to get lots of cuddle time.
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Willow’s Six Week Puppies…So Cute

The puppies are six weeks old. We have had another busy week caring for them and introducing them to many new things. They have grown bigger, and you can see each unique personality developing. The puppies have now progressed to eating softened kibble. They enjoy wrestling, running and chasing each other during outdoor playtime. They are doing very well using their potty box inside. We still have accidents here and there, but for the most part, they are fairly consistent.

Puppies in the enclosure. We have kept it small to encourage the puppies to use the potty boxes.

We are working on teaching the puppies recall with our “puppy puppy.” They are alerted and come to me. Right now, we call when I want them to come to the entrance of the puppy enclosure to take them outside and also when it is time for their meal. Recall is an ongoing learning lesson that our forever families will continue teaching their puppies.

We also expose the puppies to grooming, which makes it easier for their forever family to continue when they go home. We brush the puppies daily, clip their nails, and clean their ears weekly.

Willow continues to be the strict mama, and her puppies listen well to her. She has been teaching individual puppies to submit.

Selection Day

There is always excitement on Selection Day. We love sharing this excitement as we introduce families to the puppies. It was great to meet Willow’s puppies’ families and help them choose their puppy.

Looking back on Week Six

LOOKING AHEAD TO WEEK SEVEN

In Week Seven, we will be working on obstacles. The puppies must use their brains to figure out how to maneuver around them. The puppies will also learn how to go down steps.

  • Puppies time spent awake will continue to increase
  • Puppies will begin dry kibble by the end of week seven
  • We will continue to encourage puppies to use potty box
  • Puppies will continue to socialize and learn from each other through play
  • Puppies will continue exploring and playing together outdoor as weather permits
  • Puppies will continue learning from their mama as she disciplines them and teaches them to behave 
  • As always, puppies will continue to get lots of cuddle time.
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Five weeks old and learning so much

Five Weeks and Counting

It’s hard to believe Willow and Brinkley’s puppies are five weeks old. They have progressed to eating softened kibble, and they are doing well and getting a little chubbier now. They have had a busy week experiencing new things. The puppies moved to the main floor, where they had more space, lots to explore, and new toys.

Resting after first taste of the outdoors
Red boy found a good headrest

Introducing Crates

We said goodbye to the Whelping Box on Sunday and set up a new puppy area. At first, we must keep the space small. We want the puppies to use the potty boxes, and if the area is too large, potty training will not progress. The puppies’ enclosure has crates, potty boxes, and an elevated bed, which they love. We keep the crate doors open, and the puppies can enter when they like. We don’t want the crates to be intimidating; instead, we want them to look at crates as a comfy, safe space to sleep.

Puppies get comfortable going in and out of the crates. Many of the puppies seep in the crate with a buddy.
The new puppy area is in my front entrance for Willow’s puppies: two potty boxes, two crates, and an elevated bed.

We continue to work on teaching puppies to void in one spot—in the potty box, not just anywhere. Potty training is going well. Some puppies are better than others, but we are progressing.

A Look Back at Week Five

When our litters turn five weeks old, we begin outdoor play, weather permitting. This should have happened on Sunday; however, we had such a rainy day that we could not go outside. So, on Monday, the puppies had their first outdoor adventure. I was surprised this litter was so outgoing when we took them out. Puppies usually explore their new environment cautiously, taking their time to move around. But not this litter. They smelled around for a few minutes and then took off running, exploring and playing. Could it be because Willow is a strict mama and doesn’t baby her puppies?

After a long play session, the puppies had a long nap to recharge.

Milk Anyone?

Willow started weaning her puppies when they turned three weeks old. She still lets them have a short nurse but quickly regurgitates food for them to eat. Yesterday, when they were in the outside puppy enclosure, Maui joined in to give Willow a hand teaching. The puppies soon realized that if Mama Willow wouldn’t provide the milk, maybe Auntie Maui would.

Looking Ahead to Week Six

  • Awake time will continue to increase
  • Puppies will continue learning to use potty box both indoor and outdoors
  • Socialize with each other through play
  • As they walk on uneven ground, their balance will continue to improve
  • Daily Outdoor play time as weather permits
  • Puppies will continue learning from their mama and our other adult dogs as they teach them dog manners
  • Puppies will meet their forever families ❤️
  • As always, puppies will get lots of cuddle time.
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Eight Weeks Old and Time to Say Good-Bye

Echo’s Puppies

Eight Weeks Old

Eight weeks have passed since Echo’s tiny babies came into the world. Remember how small they were…..We could hold them in the palm of my hand. They have learned so much over these past eight weeks. I have enjoyed raising them to the point where they are ready to join their forever families. The puppies have spent their time outdoors, running and exploring in our yard. Echo has done a fantastic job raising and teaching her puppies. This past week, we have worked on acceptable behaviour, mainly the difference between nipping and kissing. Puppies are not always consistent but have made significant progress in this area. I love puppy kisses!!!

LOOKING AHEAD

Puppies are leaving this week for their forever homes. You have a lot of work ahead of you: correcting, training, caring for your new puppy, and learning. The time and work you put into training your puppy pays off when you have a loving, well-behaved dog that will love you as only a dog can— but be patient; they are still unconditionally. You will be the most important person in the world to them. 

It is always bittersweet to say goodbye to our puppies. I have enjoyed every minute of their care, and they have a piece of my heart. I say goodbye to my puppies with sadness, but seeing the excitement of their forever families brings me joy. Wishing you a long and happy life! ❤️

Maui’s Puppies

Maui’s puppies are growing bigger and more adorable with each passing day! This week, they started potty training; although they still sleep much of the day, when awake, they love socializing with their littermates through play and climbing on my lap for cuddles.

Puppies Start Solids

Maui has done a great job feeding her puppies; they are healthy, chubby babies. Now that the puppies have turned four weeks old, it’s time to start solids.

A look at those adorable faces

The Girls

ORANGE GIRL
PINK GIRL

The Boys

YELLOW BOY
BLUE BOY
GREEN BOY
BROWN BOY
GREY BOY

A LOOK BACK AT WEEK FOUR

Looking Ahead to Week Five

  • Move to the main floor
  • Puppies will continue learning to use the potty area
  • Awake time will increase
  • The puppies will continue to socialize with each other through play 
  • Toys will be added to our whelping box for puppies to explore
  • Enlarging the puppy area, giving puppies room to play and explore
  • Mama will now add the invaluable teaching phase to her caring & protecting responsibilities over the next weeks.

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Echo’s Six Week Old Sweeties

Looking back

The puppies are six weeks old today. We have had another busy week caring for them and introducing them to many new things. They have grown bigger, and you can see each unique personality developing. Echo continues to wean her puppies, and they eat softened kibble. We continue to work on Potty training. Some puppies are more consistent than others, but we are making progress.

Crate Introduction

This week, we said goodbye to the whelping box and started crate training in a new puppy area. I start the puppies with a few crates, leaving the door open. This is the beginning of crate training. The puppies go in on their own to explore, and the door is always open.

Selection Day

This past Saturday was Selection Day. The weather was beautiful, and excitement was in the air as we met each forever family and introduced them to their new puppy! It always brings me joy to know that all our puppies are joining such amazing families and will be loved!

Outdoor Play

We’ve been having wonderful weather, and the puppies really enjoy their outdoor play time. They love running, chasing each other, playing with the activity center, and climbing the “rock wall.”

Echo, Willow, and Maui teach the puppies proper doggy manners during the outdoor play sessions.

Looking Ahead to Week 7

  • Awake will continue to increase
  • Puppies will begin dry kibble by the end of week seven
  • We will continue to encourage puppies to use potty box
  • Puppies will continue to socialize and learn from each other through play
  • Exploring and playing together outdoors as weather permits
  • Puppies will continue learning from their mama as she disciplines and teaches them to behave
  • As always, puppies will continue to get lots of cuddle time
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Willow’s Puppies Turn Two Weeks Old

The Transitional Period

Willow’s puppies are now two weeks old and have entered the Transitional Period from day 14 – 21. Each litter is different and enters the next period, the Critical Socialization Period when the puppies “first startle” at a sound.

Two week old puppy huddle

Milestones

When raising puppies, we watch for Milestones to gauge the progress of our puppies. This weekWillow’s puppies reached two milestones.

Weigh-In

The first milestone the puppies reached this week was Doubling Their Birthweight. We are pleased to say that all Willow’s puppies have double their birth weight. Great job Willow!

Eyes Opened

Day 11

Another milestone was reached later in the week – Eyes Opening. Puppy’s eyes open between day 10 and day 14. On day 11, I was excited to notice that Yellow Girl had opened her eyes. Seeing the puppies look back at me is always exciting – I think they look more “alive”!

Soon after, and day by day the rest of the puppies opened their eyes too.

Daily Cleaning

As we stated before newborn puppies are susceptible to disease. For this reason, it is important to keep their area clean. We clean and disinfect their whelping box daily.

What is Vet Bedding? At first glance, you may think it is sheepskin. It is a manmade version of a sheepskin. It’s made from artificial fibres and has two sections: first, an underlying mesh, similar to the “skin” part of a sheepskin, and second, the comfy, soft, springy artificial fleece part that is attached to the mesh.

Puppies must have proper traction while nursing, moving around the whelping box, and learning to walk as this traction protects the puppy’s growing joints.

Time to Add a Panel

While cleaning in the whelping room Willow was resting on the elevated bed. I looked over to see some of her puppies had climbed out of their box and were nursing.

It is time to add a panel to the entrance

Looking Back at Week Two

The puppies spend their time eating and sleeping.

DAY 14
Puppies return to a clean whelping box. Notice how the puppies are starting to use their hind legs.

Those Beautiful Eyes

The Boys

Red Boy
Blue Boy
Black Girl

The Girls

Dark Green Girl
Orange Girl
Yellow Girl
Pink Girl
Purple Girl
Light Green Girl

Looking Ahead to Week Three

  • ENS exercises will continue until day 16
  • Puppies will continue to eat and sleep most of their day
  • Sight will become clearer
  • Ears will open and they will begin to hear.
  • Puppies will practice walking on all fours, strengthening their hind legs
  • They will become more aware of their littermates and start to interact
  • Puppies will start to vocalize
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Four Weeks Has Passed So Quickly! 🐾

Four weeks has passed so quickly! It always amazes me how quickly the puppies go from the helpless newborns that crawl, can’t see or hear to the active four-week-old puppies they are today. Echo’s puppies have grown so much and are experiencing and learning each day. It has been another busy week for sure!

Potty Training Started

The puppies are now able to void without the help of their mother, so it is important to begin potty training. Because puppies have a natural instinct to move away from their sleeping area when they need to go, I want the puppies to begin learning “where to go” before they start on solids.

 It is important that puppies start learning that they cannot “go” just anywhere. So, we teach them “there is an acceptable place to go potty”. Teaching them this at a young age will prevent them from developing bad habits that later need to be broken. This effort on our part will benefit forever families by making housebreaking easier for them when they go to their forever homes.

New Whelping Box

Recently we purchased a New Whelping box from PetTech Solutions . This was another big investment but well worth the money. The Whelping box is made in Canada with extremely durable and safe HDPE 2 food-grade plastic. HDPE 2 is a durable, non-toxic material that is commonly used for food preparation items, such as cutting boards and food storage containers.

What I loved about this whelping box was the ability to enlarge it with an extension box.

On Thursday we set up the extension box. Then we added the potty boxes with pine pellets to the extension which now becomes the puppies potty training area.

Next it was time to remove the door that separates the two areas. Soon after, Echo’s puppies were curious and one by one checked things out.

.

The puppies are doing well with their potty training. When they are kept in a small area (their whelping box) their success rate is higher because they don’t want to soil the area they play and sleep. This will be the same when they go to their forever homes. Too much room to roam equals more accidents.

Moving to the Main Floor

Saturday was a big day for our puppies because they left their warm quiet room where they have been since birth and moved to the main floor.

When we moved the puppies, we put the puppies into a Laundry Basket and made three trips to the main floor where their whelping box was set up waiting.

This move was a less stressful for Echo’s litter than my other litters. This is because the puppies had already been using the potty box extension for a few days. But unfortunately not for Echo as she was the one that was a little stressed. Soon Echo’s puppies settled into their new area and started experiencing living in a home with all the noises that go on in a busy household.

Puppies Start Solids

The puppies started solids on Monday. We usually start our litters on solids. when they are four weeks old but, with such a large litter it can take its toll on Echo. I gave her a hand by supplementing formula the last of couple days, Saturday and Sunday. The puppies did a great job and lapped it up eagerly.

On Monday I added ground kibble to their puppy formula. They ate it up but not before putting their paws in it. When they were done, we had very dirty puppies with full tummy’s.

Oops….not Willow

Oops, Credit goes to Echo, not Willow as I mistakenly said in the video. Sorry Echo, you have done an amazing job and deserve all the credit!!! I was tired and I had Willow on my mind after whelping her litter – 😂

Exploring Outside the Whelping Box

The puppies experience new things daily which helps build their confidence. I always find it interesting to watch how the puppies approach new things. When you observe you see some puppies are more outgoing and dive in while others stay back and need extra encouragement.

When it was time for the puppies to go to the play area I removed the door and let the puppies come out on their own. Notice in the video two of the puppies took longer to come out and explore. Without a doubt, Dark Blue Boy and Dark Green Boy were less adventurous. It took them awhile before they joined their littermates outside the whelping box.

The puppies had a great first adventure and Echo loved interacting with her babies! When play time was over, we had some tire puppies so, back to the whelping box for a nap.

Nothing puts a smile on your face easier than a lap full of puppies 😃
Puppies first adventure outside the whelping box.

Puppy Monitor

Now that the puppies have left the upstairs where we have cameras on the Whelping Box, we have a monitor set up to keep an eye on the puppies when we go outside.

We enjoy our morning coffee on the front porch with our puppy monitor

Looking Ahead to Week Five

  • Puppies will continue learning to use potty area
  • Awake time will increase
  • The puppies will continue to socialize with each other through play 
  • Toys will be added to our whelping box for puppies to explore
  • Enlarging the puppy area, giving puppies room to play and explore
  • Mama will now add the invaluable teaching phase to her caring & protecting responsibilities over the next weeks.